13
SOLAR VIEWING
There are three basic, safe ways to look at the sun through this telescope.
1. Approved full aperture solar filter:
This filter is secured around the front of the dewshield and blocks 99.999 percent of light
from entering the telescope.
DO NOT
use the old eyepiece solar filters that screw onto the eyepiece. These will be
subjected to extreme heat and crack! For more information on solar filters visit:
http://www.stellarvue.com/solar-filters/
2. Hershel Wedge:
A good Hershel Wedge is used like a star diagonal. Insert it in the focuser and the eye-
piece into it. These provide the most detailed white light view of the sun. They are signifi-
cantly more expensive than simple glass or mylar full aperture filters but hard core solar
observers swear by them as they show extremely fine detail in sunspots and faculae on
our nearest star.
3. Daystar Chromosphere and Ha filters:
Observe prominences and surface (Chromosphere) details using a simple
plug in device that fits between the 2” star diagonal and the eyepiece.
Check with the manufacturer to ensure this is all you will need with the
particular telescope you are using.
WARNING:
LOOKINg AT THE SUN CAN CAUSE SERIOUS EyE INjURy AND BLINDNESS.
NEVER POINT A TELESCOPE OR BINOCULARS AT OR NEAR THE SUN. VIEWINg THE SUN WITH-
OUT A PROPER SOLAR FILTER MAy RESULT IN BLINDNESS,
AS WELL AS DAMAgE TO THE INSTRUMENT.
NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN TO USE BINOCULARS OR TELESCOPES DURINg THE
DAyLIgHT HOURS, UNLESS THEy ARE SUPERVISED By AN ADULT WHO UNDERSTANDS THE
DANgER OF POINTINg ANy OPTICAL INSTRUMENT IN THE gENERAL
DIRECTION OF THE SUN.
Solar prominence through the Daystar
Chromosphere filter
Sunspots and faculae seen
through a Hershel Wedge
Sunspots seen through a
full aperture solar filter
